Berg Avenue campus flooded 7 times in 2 weeks
Officials are scrambling to find out if vandalism or poor maintenance is to blame, as the metro promises answers after a June 30 inspection.
The reservoir in the north of Pretoria above the Belgium Campus iTversity in Berg Avenue, Heatherdale AH has flooded the campus of the college more than seven times since June 17.
Metro engineers are still in two minds whether this should be attributed to the vandalism of a valve located atop the reservoir in Main Street near Berg Avenue or the lack of maintenance at the reservoir.
They will investigate the cause on June 30.
Councillor Rina Marx detailed the severity of the situation: “On June 27, I was contacted at 02:26, and again just after midnight on June 29. Needless to say, I could not get hold of any official after several attempts at that hour. The mud in all of these instances covered the paving and tarmac within the campus as well as the rooms at the hostel and the classrooms with over 10cm.”
A hostel for students with disabilities lies directly in the path of the water, forcing evacuation to another hostel.
The mud flooded classrooms, a fish pond, storerooms, and the entire parking area.
The damage has been “truly horrific,” according to Marx.
Metro engineers confirmed that the team will completely isolate the supply of water from the reservoir, or restrict it until they can get spares to repair the reservoir.
This will not affect the flow of water to the suburbs in this area of Pretoria North around the campus of the college.
– Click here to see water flooding from the reservoir.
Hendrik Kruger, head of security at the college, assessed the site and reported that metro staff present at the reservoir told him the valve on the top of the reservoir, about 30cm in diameter, had clearly been vandalised.
He is also particularly concerned about a corroded pipe that has to be replaced within the network of pipes at the reservoir, noting that a leak had been temporarily sealed with a cloth.
More than 300 students, many of whom use wheelchairs, are currently off-site because of the school holidays.
However, a team of at least eight staff members had to be mobilised to move beds and relocate students to unaffected buildings during the last week of June.
Kruger added, “I hope the problem can be resolved during the holidays. It has already been seven nights that we have had to stay up to manage the situation.”
More than 20 workers have been deployed to dig drainage trenches, and over 300 sandbags were used to channel water away from the complex.
On Monday, June 30, 10 truckloads of mud were cleared from the terrain.
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